canoe storage in Burlington, Vermont

Advice
#1

Hello all,

I will be moving to Burlington in august and would like to bring my outrigger canoe with me. I was hoping you guys could help me with two questions:


  1. can I store it outside during the wintertime? i come from a warm weather place, and am unfamiliar with its durability in cold weather. its maybe 10 years old and is fiberglass.


  2. Its an awkward size, about 21 ft long and maybe 3 ft wide, and I am unsure I will have a place to store it in a teeny tiny apartment. From google earth I see some boats beached around red rocks park, is this public? or are there specific racks for rent?



    this is the craft I have:

    http://www.huki.com/index.php?page=V1-A



    thanks so much for your input! I really want to continue paddling, and am excited to join up with the paddling community in my new future home!



    Lesley
#2

Unless a “FG” boat laminate is
smashed and battered so that water gets between cloth layers and freezes, cold weather is not an issue. Contrive to keep the boat out of the sun so that UV does not degrade the gelcoat and resin. Try to have a tarp over, but not on the hull to keep it cleaner. When I tarped a FG boat without maintaining a gap, I think it contributed to hydrolysis blisters that formed on the hull.

#3

thanks g2d!
good to know it wont shatter into a million pieces in the snow!

#4

Welcome
to Vermont! I doubt there is space to rent at red rocks but you can contact them and ask. They have a phone number if you run a google search. As far as storage goes I suggest you run a google search and connect with one of the paddling clubs in the area for advice. I am sure you can figure something out.


#5

Storage
Most of those racks you are seeing are likely owned by someone with a contract to provide paddling rentals etc at that beach. And most places in the northeast pull whatever racks they have inside so that ice and snow won’t damage them (the racks). At the size of boat you are talking about, if we have another winter with a snow load like this one you may not want to have the boat on a rack anyway. Nearer the ground is safer.



Same advice as above - see if you can contact a local club for advice. Or, something which I bet would work if you were OK with the cost, check around to see if there are marinas that could store your boat. There are going to be a few months of the year where the boat can’t go anywhere anyway unless you put wheels and an ice sail on it.



Also, marinas will bring in their docks each fall, again to avoid ice damage. If you need a dock to launch, you should check into that schedule.